Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1 Episode 7: Necessary Measures
by Mutrox
Summary: <html><head></head>Amid demands for more energy, Jadeite seeks a way to repair his powers. On Earth, Sailor Moon begins additional training with Sailor Venus, and Lightstorm delves deeper into the mysterious "Mr. Shields". Five mysterious words echo hauntingly in the old warrior's mind, forcing him to ponder what strange forces have brought Darien Shields to the City of Eyes.</html>
1. Prologue: Investigations

The midnight moon shined down through the windows, casting long shadows that ran and flowed together like water. Silence rested over the apartment, unbroken by the dark figure that prowled through its chambers. In one room, the sole inhabitant of the flat slumbered peacefully, unaware of the ancient, ageless eyes that watched him.

Jason Shepard stood in the darkness, his black armor covering his body. Silently he crept through the apartment, relentlessly searching for evidence. He paused for a moment to listen to the breathing patterns of the apartment's tenant. Satisfied that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, Jason resumed his exploration.

Over the course of multiple clashes with the Negaverse, the mysterious Mr. Shields had proven to be too intrusive to ignore. His constant appearances and disappearances were too coincidental and too helpful, and in Jason's experience, such things were rarely what they appeared to be. Sailor Moon may have been prepared to blindly trust him, but her devotion only deepened Jason's suspicions that "Tuxedo Mask" wasn't what he seemed.

Determined to find answers, Jason had reassessed his priorities. Every moment not spent either training the Sailor Scouts or obtaining resources was investigating the man who called himself "Darien Shields". Jason had tailed him for days, learning all of his movements. He had memorized all of his habits, learned his reactions, and studied his thought process. And the results were disappointing.

Darien Shields blended in perfectly with the inhabitants of the city. His speech patterns were flawless, his financial and educational histories were in order, and his behavior patterns were far from abnormal. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to be an ordinary human with an ordinary life.

But such perfection rarely occurred naturally. Perhaps it was an elaborate deception constructed by the Negaverse, or worse, an unknown third party. Even worse, perhaps Mr. Shields truly was of Earth, and he had done business with something dark. Could he be working for the Negaverse in exchange for power? It was difficult to grant an ordinary human the abilities of a Justice Champion, but it wasn't impossible. To find the truth, Jason had delved even deeper, hence his nocturnal operation.

Jason carefully opened a drawer and examined the contents. Finding nothing of interest, he closed it and moved on. Slowly but silently, he explored the apartment, checking for hidden caches of technology or weapons. He had known many fighters in the old days, and all of the smart ones kept hidden stores of things they might need.

A sudden cry broke the silence. Jason whipped around, shuriken in hand. There was no assailant behind him, but someone was definitely stirring. It was Darien, and he didn't sound like himself. Silently, Jason returned to Darien's bedside and observed the sleeping figure, allowing himself to feel the slightest trace of curiosity.

Darien was tossing and turning, his eyes racing beneath his closed eyelids. Cold sweat poured from his skin, glistening in the moonlight. His fist clenched around the blankets, so hard that it seemed his muscles would tear. His breath came in ragged bursts, each one torn from his lungs by an unseen terror.

Jason observed in silence, wondering if he would witness somniliscension. Before his eyes, Darien's body thrashed and twisted, apparently reacting to some sort of pain. Through it all, he seemed to be whispering something. Jason focused all of his attention on deciphering his words through the moans and the ragged breaths.

"No... please..." Darien whispered, his voice thick with strain. "Serenity…" He turned over, pulling a wad of blankets with him. "Don't let her die… you can't let her die…"

Darien's eyes shot open. He sucked in a lungful of cold night air, forcing himself back to lucidity. After a moment, he sat up, forcing his clenched fist open. Opening and closing his fingers to get rid of the pain, he got up and headed for the fridge. He poured a glass of milk and swallowed a quadruple dose of melatonin.

Outside, Jason crouched on the roof, listening to Darien's movements, pondering what he had heard. As he thought, he pulled out his phone and ran one final check on his equipment. He had planted bugs and cameras in Darien's apartment while he had searched. The man's laptop and tablet were configured to monitor his activity. A force pair had been enacted on his phone, and all connections were performing within acceptable parameters.

Jason watched through one of the hidden cameras as Darien sat down with his tablet and brought up a movie. In spite of all the melatonin he had just inflicted on his body, he wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon. Deciding there was nothing else to be done that night, Jason stood, and with one final glance at his phone, turned and vanished into the darkness.


	2. Palaces

Serena walked into the base, happily munching on a pretzel she had just bought for an after-lunch snack. Spotting a trash can, she tossed away the empty cup that had contained a milkshake only seconds before.

"Honestly, Serena," Luna scolded, bounding beside her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to fight on a full stomach?"

"I can't fight if I'm hungry," Serena said through a mouthful of pretzel. "I need my energy."

"What you need is a lesson in self-discipline."

"Just be happy I showed up at all." Luna thought for a second and was forced to concede the point.

Today was the first day Serena was scheduled to spar with Sailor Venus. To everyone's surprise, Serena had talked to Mina about sparring at the base on the way back from raiding the Negaverse base. After a moment of disbelief, Mina had said yes, and the two of them had set up a time to do it. Some of the other Scouts took this as a sign that Serena was finally getting it together, but Luna knew it was only to get Raye to stop yelling at her for being lazy. But one way or another, Serena had found herself at the base ready for an afternoon of clenched fists and squared jaws. But sparring meant she had to talk to someone before heading out onto the mat.

As Serena and Luna wandered deeper into the base, the sound of clinking chains and rattling glassware reached their ears. The noises grew louder as they drew closer. A minute later, Serena turned a corner and found the two people she was looking for.

"Thanks a lot, V!" Lita said over her shoulder. Behind her, Sailor Venus was using her chains to maneuver some heavy tables through a doorway.

"Hey, Lita!" Serena said, walking up.

"Hey, Moon!"

"What's all this?"

"I'm setting up a lab in one of the old rooms." Lita picked up a heavy box filled with beakers. "The way I see it, I can do a lot more for the Sailor Scouts if I've got a place to make all my stuff. So I ran it by Jason, and he said I could use this room as long as I don't make the place smell bad."

Serena picked up another box and followed Lita into the lab. "What's wrong with your place?"

"There wasn't enough space for all the equipment I needed. Well, that and I got tired of my mom saying I was going to blow up the house." Lita stepped around a portable air conditioner. "Just set that down anywhere."

Serena moved to set the box on one of the tables. Suddenly her foot caught on the AC unit's power cord.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!-… ow."

"Serena! You alright?" Lita asked, concerned.

Serena shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, what are these?" The overturned box had spilled out a pile of thick, well worn books. Serena picked one up and flipped through it.

"Oh, these are my cookbooks," Lita explained, kneeling down to pick them up. "I write down the instructions for all the chemical formulas I invent in these notebooks, in case I forget."

Serena stopped flipping to stare at a particularly complicated formula. "So… there's nothing edible in here?"

"I try not to eat stuff I make. Bad habit to get into. Speaking of which-" she pointed at the half-eaten pretzel stuffed in Serena's pocket. "Don't be bringing food in here, okay? I've had too many close calls over the years, so let's just make everything easier and leave the snacks in the hallway. Can you do that for me?"

Serena shut the book and stood up. "Yeah, sure. Hey, you got any more of that anti-friction hair gel? I'm gonna spar with Mina, and I'm all out."

"Already?" Lita walked over to a duffel bag and pulled out a jar. "Look, I'm glad you guys like it, but this stuff takes resources to make. Not trying to be mean, but pretty soon I'm gonna have to start charging you guys for it."

"Aw, and I just spent the last of my cash on a second lunch."

"Here, this one's on the house, but this is the last time I can afford to be generous."

"Thanks, Lita."

Mina stuck her head into the room. "Hey Jupe, where should I put this last table?"

"Just leave it out there, I'll get it later," Lita told her. "I can take it from here if you guys want to go do your thing."

"You sure you wanna do this, Moon?" Mina asked as they headed away from Lita's new lab.

"I'm tired of Raye yelling at me. Let's just get it over with."

"Don't worry, Jason's gonna ref the match so things don't get out of hand."

"Yeah, where is he, anyway?"

###

Jason Shepard sat on the cold concrete in the basement of the base. His eyes were shut, but in the total darkness it made no difference. A cup of tea rested in his clasped hands, its contents practically gone.

Many creatures, to some degree or another, disliked darkness, but Jason Shepard wasn't one of them. Darkness was peaceful, calming. Over the years, Jason had learned to use it to ease his mind in times of trouble, to reach a state devoid of negative emotion. He experienced no positive emotions, but neither was he suffering. It was a state he preferred to remain in. And he was fully aware of the irony of the situation, given his former name.

Jason's heart beat steadily, loud in the unnatural silence. Blood flowed through his ears, creating a pulsing, ringing noise that most humans found unpleasant. But the minute noise did not bother the old warrior, for his mind had left reality.

_Jason's footsteps echoed as he walked down the long isle. Tall shelves pressed in from both sides, but he didn't give them a second glance. Turning a corner, he adjusted his grip on the file in his hand and kept walking._

_A mind palace. That was the name of the place Jason had traveled to. A world composed entirely of thought, the mind palace was a powerful technique used for storing and accessing vast amounts of information. Unlike normal memory, a mind palace combined visual processing with the subconsciousness's natural spatial memory. The result was near-flawless storage of virtually everything the user had ever learned. Although useful for beginners, the power of the mind palace could be increased by veterans of the mind. The more experience and training one had, the deeper the user could immerse him or herself into the mind palace, sometimes to the point of the experience becoming indistinguishable from lucid dreaming. Jason's mind palace had become quite powerful over the years, and now he was using it once again._

_Jason set the folder down on a table, pushing aside a stack of papers. He sat down and began leafing through the folder's contents. Before him lay a list of Silver Millennium Justice Champions, and next to their names were lists of their various abilities. As he paged through the list, his suspicions were confirmed: no Justice Champion had ever called him or herself "Tuxedo Mask", and none of them had ever demonstrated the ability to generate and throw razor roses (the closest any had ever come was a female non-Sailor Scout Justice Champion who could bend space into sharp shears and launch them at high speeds, but she had perished many years before Jason's time)._

_Placing the folder on the table, Jason stood and walked over to a large work area. The desk and bulletin board were covered with notes, each piece of paper containing information Jason had learned about the man that called himself Darien Shields. Jason's brow furrowed as he stared hard at his work, as if the weight of his gaze might force it to reveal the man's secrets._

_Much of what he had learned about the mysterious Mr. Shields and his alter ego was unsettling, but one thing in particular stuck out in mind: the phrase that Darien had uttered in his sleep. "You can't let her die." Something about the way he had said it gave the words an unnatural intensity. The sheer desperation in Darien's voice gave Jason pause._

_Jason looked, and beheld the words printed in large black letters on a piece of paper on the board. He reached out and pulled the paper down, looking at it with a mix of suspicion and curiosity. The stark words stared back at him, as if they held some terrible secret that must never be revealed._

_YOU CAN'T LET HER DIE!_

_Jason looked up. Something had stirred. Somewhere, in this vast palace of the mind, something moved without Jason's bidding. But as Jason looked out at the palace, he beheld nothing but rows upon rows of shelves and file cabinets. _A stray thought_, he told himself, his attention returning to the paper in his hand._

_After a time, Jason looked away from his work. He glanced up at the enormous analog clock suspended high above the ground floor of the mind palace. The hour was approaching. Soon he would have to return to the material world and the affairs of the Sailor Scouts. Resigned, he turned and walked toward the exit._

_The button to call the elevator hung in the air, suspended by nothing. Jason reached out to press it… but something stayed his hand. He looked to the side, and beheld a corner of the mind palace that he had not wished to visit today._

_Before him was a workstation covered in notes, diagrams, and calculations. A common sight in the mind palace, and Jason would not have spared this station a second glance. Except that this particular workstation served a purpose that was too vital to ignore: research into restoring Jason's Combat Mode._

_Jason glanced back at the clock. Yes, there was still time. He hadn't planned to work on this today, but plans change._

_He strode away from the elevator, back into the depths of the palace. Past the records of the Sagittarius Incursion. Past the transcripts of conversations he had held with ghosts. Without breaking stride, he reached out and closed a drawer containing the blueprints of the once-magnificent Tranquility Gardens of Venus._

_At last he reached his destination. He pulled open a cabinet and selected four folders. Walking back to the work station and spread the contents of the folders on the table._

_Laid out before him was a small collection of schematics for Justice Champions. Jason had seen much during his years, and by one method or another, he had pieced together complete details of the inner workings of these Champions. They had once helped him accomplish much, and now, hopefully, they would do so again._

_The first set of schematics was of an old-world Sailor Scout known as Sailor Thesitoth. The second set belonged to a non-Sailor Scout Justice Champion named Downfall . The third set detailed a male Justice Champion called Starvoid. And the final set belonged to Jason himself._

_Jason sat down, silently observing the schematic for Sailor Thesitoth. The intricate mechanisms that drove her Combat Mode were well-known to him. Taking up a pencil and some paper, he began writing down some calculations. A minute later he pulled Starvoid's schematics closer and began studying them. Male Justice Champions weren't as plentiful as female Champions (male anatomy tended to be less tolerant of transformations), but the knowledge gained from studying them had proven invaluable to Jason many years ago._

_After a time, Jason finished the necessary calculations. Brushing aside the unneeded papers, he focused all of his effort on the formulas in front of him. Perhaps these would generate the necessary thought patterns for transformation. Jason shut his eyes and focused his willpower into three ancient words._

_ "__Celestial Power Unleash."_

In the material world, Jason's body ignited in a burst of energy. Shadows danced around the basement, writhing in chaos. The cup in Jason's hands blackened and scorched under his grip. Three seconds later, the energy surged faded away into nothing. The world was as before.

_Jason sat in silence for a moment. There was nothing to feel. He had not suffered, lost nothing. He had learned, and would use this knowledge to improve._

_Resolved, he stood up and gathered the folders. He placed them back where he had found them, and he filed away the page containing the errant calculations for future reference. Then he walked back to the elevator and pressed the button. The mind palace could be exited by simply waking up, but created an unpleasant mental jolt that could interfere with future concentration. No, it was safer to enter and exit through controlled means._

_Stepping into the elevator, Jason took one last look around. All was as it should be. With nothing left to do, he pressed the button and the doors closed._

Jason's eyes opened. The absolute darkness remained unchanged. He slowly drew in a deep breath, the air tasting burnt and unpleasant. The remaining tea in the cup had long since cooled, but he swallowed it anyway. Then he picked up his staff and stood. Nothing more would be accomplished here. It was time to return to the world of light and train the Sailor Scouts.

His footsteps echoed as he climbed the stairs, the sound seeming to hang in the dark air as he ascended from the realm of tranquility. As he approached the door, he could hear the distant sounds of the Sailor Scouts' voices, laughing and talking of trivialities. Jason opened the door and stepped through, leaving nothing in the basement but the machinations of an old man, and the terrible truths that the Sailor Scouts must never learn.


	3. The Appointment

"Are we feeling better today?"

Jadeite shifted uncomfortably in a vain attempt to ease the agony pulsing through his body. "Do I _look_ like I feel better?"

"Maybe some of this will help." Jadeite stopped himself from flinching at the large needle that plunged into his arm.

Following the destruction of his base (and a few harsh words from Beryl), Jadeite had dragged himself to Tridymite.

Tridymite was a creature of the Negaverse that specialized in repairing people. While he wasn't the best with words, he was quite skilled with a knife, a trait which served him well. He was the best "doctor" in the Negaverse that had survived the firing of the Oblivion Spheres on the last day of the Final Desolation, and he wasn't shy about using the pull that came with the position.

Physically, Tridymite was a slightly-shorter-than-average humanoid with long fingers and an off-white, semi-transparent head of hair. His voice had a light, upbeat sound to it that had a way of slightly unsettling people who heard him talk. Jadeite wouldn't have minded so much, except that Pyrite smiled just a bit too widely and a bit too often for his liking. The end result was that Jadeite did everything in his power to avoid coming here, but sometimes he had to bite the proverbial bullet and force himself to see Tridymite when he needed repairs.

In the days that followed, Jadeite had been slowly but steadily recovering from his injuries at the hands of Sailors Jupiter and Venus. The aches and pains that racked his body made it even worse when Beryl summoned him to her chambers at night, but that wasn't the worst. The worst part was knowing that he could have fought them on equal ground once, but those days were long gone.

It had happened during the days of the Remnants. In those days of chaos and desperation, the Remnants had begun researching advanced bioweapons, each with devastating effects. Jadeite had been struck by one on a particularly deplorable day all those years ago. While the weapon did not kill him, it did interfere with the mechanisms within his body that generated his powers. In the years since, Jadeite had repeatedly sought cures for his condition, but nothing worked permanently. Sooner or later, his body always rejected the treatments, and he went back to his unpowered state.

Barricades. Technokinesis. Sleep inducement. Flight. Such feats that he once performed with the greatest of ease were now lost to him. He had tried to compensate by making his own drones with his knowledge of molecular fringe animation, but there was only so much the limited intelligence of the drones allowed them to do.

The growing threat of the Sailor Scouts and their allies forced Jadeite to consider alternatives. Perhaps a more radical treatment could bring his powers back, maybe even permanently. Unconsciously, he smiled at the thought of swatting the Sailor Scouts like bugs. And the Mistake… yes, maybe Zoisite had the right idea about slowly torturing him to death.

"If you're done impaling me with spikes, I'd like the treatment so I can kill the Sailor Scouts," Jadeite said through gritted teeth.

"I didn't know you were in such a hurry to get yourself beaten again," Tridymite commented. "Not that I mind it when you give me money to patch you up."

"The whole point of the treatment is so I won't have to come back." In the back of his mind, Jadeite was beginning to wonder if Tridymite was intentionally giving him faulty treatments. The man had a reputation for being the real thing, but one could never be sure…

"You mean you don't like talking to me?"

"I _mean_ those underdeveloped Sailor Scouts and their pets need to die, and I'm going to be the one to do it."

"I see. And just how do you plan to do that?"

"As if I'd actually tell you. You'd just be one more source of information Zoisite will use against me."

"Just making conversation…" Tridymite shrugged. He picked up a small vial of glowing orange fluid and loaded it into his syringe gun. "Now are you sure you want this stuff? This is a powerful formula, and I'm not sure if your system can-"

"I don't care what my system can't handle. I just want my powers back."

"Okay," Tridymite said carelessly. Casually, he reached out and jammed the syringe gun in Jadeite's neck.

Immediately, Jadeite felt his circulatory system explode with energy. A cry of pain escaped him as he felt his nerves burn and die, only to be reborn in a blaze of power. In a moment it was over, of the memory of the pain lingered.

Jadeite looked down, pleasantly surprised to see energy crackling from his palm. Standing up, he stretched forth his hand and concentrated. A barricade coalesced in front of him, as if his powers had never been taken.

"How do we feel now?" Tridymite asked, a smug smile on his face.

"Invincible." Jadeite could practically see the Sailor Scouts' crushed remains on his hands already.

A servant stuck his head into the room. "Tridymite, the Supreme One requires your services. The Continuum is screaming again."

"Of course." Tridymite dismissed the servant. "I'm sure you can show yourself out," he said to Jadeite, grabbing a small bag. "Until next time." He walked out of the room.

Jadeite remained a moment longer, allowing himself to savor the return of his powers. After a minute, he turned to leave. Perhaps he would celebrate by making Zoisite do something humiliating. Before he left, he spotted something on a nearby shelf: a vial of black crystal containing a silver liquid. He read the label. Deciding it might be useful later, he jammed it in his pocket and strode out the door.


	4. Exercises in Creativity

"If I didn't hurt so much, I'd want a rematch," Serena groaned, massaging her relocated shoulder.

"Look on the bright side," Mina said, matching her friend's pace. "At least Raye can't complain that you didn't train today."

"She'll be complaining that she lost our bet!" Lita called, strolling out of an adjacent room. "Thanks, Moon: you just won me bragging rights and a fistful of cash."

"What?"

"Raye and I made a wager over whether you'd show today."

"Well, thanks for believing in me, I guess," Serena replied, grateful for the distraction from her shoulder.

"I'm just glad I finally have somebody to train with," Mina commented. "I didn't have anyone to spar with when I flew solo."

"What was up with that, anyway?" Lita asked as they rounded a corner. "I get that you worked alone, but how did you do it without anyone finding out about you?"

"It wasn't easy. I had to learn a lot of stealth stuff before Artemis let me out in the field, and then I had to be really careful not to let anyone see me while I worked. The whole thing was getting on my nerves when you guys showed up."

"How come you didn't go public back then?"

"Artemis said it would have attracted too much attention."

"Well, yeah, but…" Serena threw herself down into a bean bag as soon as they entered the base's new rec room. "Wouldn't it have been cool?"

"I don't get why you're whining," Lita said, sitting down and putting her feet up on an old coffee table. "People are noticing us now, so is it as cool as you thought it'd be?"

"I dunno. It's alright, I guess."

"Hey, we're the kind of people they make comic books about," Mina pointed out. "If I wasn't so used to it by now I'd be psyched."

"There's still plenty to be psyched about. Like, check this out." With a flash, Lita transformed into her Combat Mode and picked up a piece of metal. "Turns out I can do more than just shoot lightning. My power lets me do magnetism too, so now I can control metal and stuff." Electrical bolts arced from her hand through the metal, reshaping it into a cube.

"Yeah? Check this out." Mina threw her hand forward. Energized chains coalesced in her grip. "Six chains at once. My limit used to be four."

"Cool! Hey, watch this." Lita held up both hands. Electrical current arced between her fingers. A pleasant twanging noise emanated from the energy.

"Hey, is that the _Neon Vengeance _theme song?" Serena asked, starting to feel better.

"Hang on; I can do the extended version, too."

"Nice one, Jupe. You know, I'm working on a new way to use my impact beams. If I learn to control them well enough, I might be able to set it up so I get the impact instead of whatever I'm shooting at. Then I'll be able to jump even higher and maneuver in midair and everything."

"How about you, Moon?" Lita asked, putting her hands down. "Any cool new uses for your powers?"

The last of the pain was subsiding from Serena's shoulder. "Well… Jason thinks my sonic scream could be part of a bigger power. Control over sound, or… something."

"Ooh, that's cool. You can play your own soundtrack when you're in the field."

"Not just that," Mina broke in. "If you really can control sound like that, you could do all kinds of weird stuff, like throwing up walls of sound to block bullets. You could also incapacitate targets with the right volume and pitch, and muffle your footsteps if you're in spy mode."

"Boy, you guys just full of ideas today," Serena said.

"Hey, when you've logged in as much field time as I have, you start getting a knack for this kind of thing," Mina shrugged, leaning back and lacing her fingers behind her head.

Down the hall, Jason stood in a storage room, listening to the Sailor Scouts' conversation as he went about his business. Such innocence, he found himself thinking. How unfortunate was the timing of their activation.

The Sailor Scouts of old had been trained since before they could walk. As they grew and matured, they were forged into the finest warriors in the known universe. Surrounded by fellow warriors, the old-world Sailor Scouts found it relatively easier to adapt and survive the incredible hardships of battle.

But these Sailor Scouts were different. They hadn't been raised as fighters. They had been born in comfort in one of the most prosperous cities on Post-Desolation Earth. Without being inoculated against the horrors of the universe, different methods would have to be used to help them cope with the truth.

Jason shut his eyes and bowed his head slightly. These Sailor Scouts considered themselves what humans called "superheroes". Crude, but it seemed to help them adjust. But how long would it be before the enthusiasm wore off and reality settled in?

Even the old Sailor Scouts sometimes had trouble coping. Of course, they had had access to the finest therapy and resources known to exist. But like so much else, those things had been taken from these Sailor Scouts. They had even, he reflected, been robbed of the right to decide which planets they would take as their names.

Jason pushed such thoughts aside, raising his head. That was then, this was now, and there was no point in dwelling on things that didn't exist anymore. As he listened to their relaxed, friendly tones, he made a promise to himself. These Sailor Scouts would not be victims, least of all to their own minds. He would personally ensure that they would become as strong as they needed to be, no matter what he had to do.

_And how will you do that,_ whispered a voice in his head,_when you can't even fix yourself?_

Jason ignored the taunt from his subconsciousness. He turned and strode out the door. These Sailor Scouts were many things, but they were not one thing that he was: broken.


	5. The Changing Game

"Okay, I'm ready," Amy said into her brand-new communication watch.

"Here goes nothing." Sailor Mars lowered her wrist. Slowly she drew in a deep breath, feeling the cool air rush down her trachea. Then she leaned forward, gathered her power, and ran.

A gigantic burst of flame ignited behind her. Raye felt a rush as she felt the familiar kick of the fire jets against her body, and her mouth widened into a grin. Carefully adjusting the flow and intensity of the inferno exploding from her limbs and back, Sailor Mars blasted forth in a crimson blur.

Amy braced as Raye closed in on her. With one hand she raised an ice shield. Crouching behind it, she concentrated and focused her visor on the speeding Sailor Scout.

Raye blasted past Amy, her fire so hot that Sailor Mercury felt the heat even with the shield's protection. In a split-second she was gone, leaving nothing but a massive wave of superheated air in her wake. As she vanished into the distance, Amy saw her cut her forward thrust and start expelling fire jets from her front. In a minute she had skidded to a halt. "How was that?"

Amy composed herself and checked the readings on her visor. "Impressive. You've increased your maximum velocity by 0.026%."

"Spare me the math, Merc. What are my top 3 speeds?" Amy read Raye her stats. There was a hissing noise on the other end of the watch's comm channel, and Amy guessed that Raye was exhaling through her nose. "Crap, I was hoping I'd be at least 10 kph faster. Alright, let's go again." Before Amy could object, Raye ignited again and shot past her a second time, barely giving Amy enough time to measure her speed.

"That time you only increased by 0.000127%," Amy reported when Raye had come to a halt downrange. "Don't you think it's time for a break?" she asked upon hearing Raye's frustration.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Raye jogged back to Amy, and the two of them sat down on a large rock. "Hey, thanks again for helping me out with this."

"You're welcome, but I'm still not sure why you're so worked up over your rocket-running. It's worked well for you so far."

"Not well enough. I need to be faster."

"What's wrong with your top speed right now?"

"Zoisite," Raye said simply. "Zoisite is what's wrong."

Amy looked at her friend sympathetically. "You don't have to fight her alone, Raye. We're your friends. We'll fight with you."

"Thanks, but that's not it." Raye stared into the middle distance, not seeing the abandoned runway before her. "Zoisite came to the temple and acted like she owned the place. She violated it with her presence even before she started destroying it. And what if someone had gotten killed when she freaked out like that?" She paused for a moment. "What if she had killed my grandpa?" Her clenched fist trembled slightly as she spoke.

Amy said nothing for a long minute. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way."

"Don't you get it, Merc? If I'm going to stop Zoisite, I have to be better than her. I know I'm not as strong as her yet, but I can be faster."

"Even if you do get faster, it won't help you that much in a fight. You're not a speedster, Raye. You don't have all the secondary abilities you need to make your speed a viable combat style."

"Yeah, but if I learn to run faster I can get to Zoisite and stop her before she does more damage. I might even be able to save someone's life." Her voice took on a lighter tone. "Plus, I've always wanted to see what would happen if I rocket-punched Zoisite while running at full speed."

Curiously, at that very moment, Zoisite was imagining doing something similar to Sailor Mars as it desperately fought to think about something other than its task.

"Don't just keep moving your hands around like that," Jadeite snapped. "Put some muscle into it!"

With a quiet sigh, Zoisite's female body redoubled its efforts. The pain-relieving gel glistened in the dim light as the creature spread it on her commander's back. In spite of herself, Zoisite winced slightly at some of the wounds Jadeite had suffered. She hated him with every fiber of her being, but the injuries were still painful to look at.

"Ahh, that's better," Jadeite said, sounding a little more relaxed.

Zoisite noticed something white and sharp sticking out of one of the wounds. "Beryl lost a tooth this time," she observed quietly. With a quick flick of her fingers, she yanked the offending incisor out of the raw flesh.

Jadeite winced as the pain exploded inside his body. "Do I need to get… _creative_ with my next request, Zoisite?"

"No, sir."

"Then be more gentle." Jadeite said nothing for a minute. "How are the drones coming?"

"Smoothly." Elsewhere, Zoisite's male body was servicing a squadron of drones for future use. As Jadeite chewed out the female body for her failure to rub gel on him satisfactorily, the male body cracked open the control core of a dormant drone and began checking for cognitive cascade failure.

Suddenly Zoisite had an idea. Punching a few commands into her tools, she accessed the drone's sapience code and began making alterations. Jadeite may be brilliant when it came to molecular fringe animation, but Zoisite had been reading up on drone behavior patterns, and now the drones were going to behave a little differently.


	6. Lessons in History

Night was falling on the human city. The sun sank ever-lower in the western sky, stretching long, gentle shadows across the land. Serena glanced at the digital clock someone had hung on the wall and stifled a yawn.

Luna's voice echoed through the room, unpleasantly reminding Serena of school. Trying not to yawn again, Serena turned and tried to catch the eye of one of her friends, all of whom looked as enthused as she was about tonight's history lesson.

At Artemis' insistence, the Sailor Scouts were being educated about the history and events of the Moon Kingdom. For the past week, he and Luna had been attempting to reign in the increasing number of questions from the Sailor Scouts about the Silver Millennium by holding informal gatherings to recount the tales of ages past. Yesterday, Artemis had told them all about the Negaverse's conquest of the Great Sky Cities of Jupiter and how Sailor Jupiter and her armies had bravely defended her world while the civilians could escape. The day before, he had taken turns with Luna recounting Sailor Mars' and Venus' suicide mission to the heliopause to re-arm an interstellar defense platform. But today, Luna was telling the tale of the last day of the war and how the Sailor Scouts came to be reborn on Earth.

"… and so, with her dying breath, Queen Serenity tore open a rift in space and time itself, sending the injured Sailor Scouts flying into the future. Though your bodies were destroyed, Queen Serenity bound your minds and powers to suitable human zygotes at the exact moments of conception, allowing you to survive," Luna explained. "And here we are today. Any questions?"

Silence descended on the room. The five Sailor Scouts said nothing, but most of their expressions seemed to indicate that they were tired, hungry, and wanted to go home. Amy, however, seemed perfectly happy to sit and learn all there was to learn. Predictably, her hand raised as soon as Luna finished speaking. "How does Lightstorm fit into the Moon Kingdom's history?" The old warrior hadn't been mentioned once.

"He, um… he served in the Moon Kingdom army under Queen Serenity," Luna answered.

"How was he a part of the regular army? Shouldn't his status as a Justice Champion have put him elsewhere?" The Justice Champions, oddly enough, had only been mentioned once in passing.

"He only served for a short time," Artemis explained, beginning to wish they would all just go home. "Mostly he went where he was needed."

"Then how did he end up on Earth?" Amy asked curiously. Shouldn't he have been on the front lines during the final days of the Silver Millennium?"

"Speaking of Earth," Mina joined in. "Why didn't a Sailor Scout take Earth as her name? Seems like one us would have taken it."

"Earth occupied a unique political position that prevented a Sailor Scout from taking it as her name." Artemis was starting to think that this might not have been the best idea.

"Hey, that reminds me," Lita spoke up. "I know I asked before, but how come we've never seen any evidence of the Moon Kingdom on the Moon? I mean, I get that they were wiped out, but surely we would have seen _something_ through a probe or a space mission or something. There can't literally be no trace of them left."

"Does that mean Queen Serenity's body is still up there?" Raye asked. Everyone looked at her. "I know it's morbid, but her body wouldn't have decayed in an airless environment."

Artemis felt beads of sweat forming on his paws. "That's enough for tonight. You should all head home before it gets too dark."

The Sailor Scouts rose and turned to leave, seeming a little confused at their sudden dismissal. "Do you still think this was such a brilliant idea?" Luna asked Artemis when they were alone.

"At least I'm doing something," Artemis replied crossly. "All you've done so far is tell them not to worry about things. I'm trying to steer them in the right direction before they start getting suspicious."

"And you've done a remarkable job of it so far. What are they going to think now that you've sent them off just as they've gotten curious?"

"Don't put this all on me, Luna. You're in just as deep as I am. Now if we put our heads together, we can still keep things under control."

Luna glanced apprehensively at the door, as if someone might have been listening. "Just how long do you think we can keep this up?"

"We'll keep it up as long as we have to," Artemis said fiercely. "Remember our promise."

"Promises," Luna mused grimly. "They have a rather nasty way of biting you in the arse, don't they?"

"That they do," Artemis agreed.

"Can we really pull this off?"

"If we're going to, we can't just keep blowing off their questions. We need them to stop asking altogether," Artemis said. A strange note crept into his voice. "What we need is a little… distraction."


	7. Lita's Workout

A red sun peeked over the horizon, its rays melting away the shadows. The cloudless sky began to lighten, fading from a dense blackness to a deep, tranquil blue. A slight breeze swept across the city, the crisp, cool air feeling good against Lita's body.

Lita bounded down the alley, her body coursing with adrenalin. Effortlessly she vaulted over an obstacle and kept running. Turning a corner, she ran a few steps up the wall and did a back flip, landing flawlessly. Then she turned and vaulted over a metal railing, landing and coming up in a roll. Her feet kicked up some dust as she took off running.

This was how it should be: Tracing through the city on a brisk morning, running until fatigue tugged at her muscles, and cheating death time and again before heading home for a hearty breakfast. Lita sucked in the crisp morning air through her nose. There was no place she would rather be.

Pausing to catch her breath on a rooftop, Lita wiped the sweat from her forehead and glanced toward the eastern sky. Sunrise. By now her dad would be working out and watching last night's episode of _Chrome Wolves_. Breakfast wouldn't be served for awhile. If she hurried, there was still time for a quick trace to the other side of the city and back.

The wind whipped through her hair as she sprinted and weaved through the world of metal and concrete. An exhilarated laugh erupted into the air, and she was slightly surprised to discover that it was her own. No matter. She refilled her lungs and let loose a short burst of air as she flipped over an obstacle and kept running.

_Is this what V feels like when she's chaining?_ Lita wondered to herself as the city rushed past her. _Nah. You can't get this kind of rush when you're swinging through the skyline._ She was back on the ground, relishing the feeling of concrete beneath her feet. Glancing ahead, she spotted something that looked interesting.

The slam of the metal door reached her ears as she traced her way down the abandoned-looking staircase. Footsteps pounded and echoed off the hard surfaces, following her decent into the Earth. Darkness surrounded her, but still she pressed on. This was completely new territory to her, and the thought that there might be something dangerous down here set her heart racing and her mouth twisting upward in a dangerous grin.

The darkness around her pressed in, making her slow to avoid hitting something. As she opened another door, she found herself in a long tunnel. _A subway line_, she thought to herself as she paused for breath. Distractedly, she did a quick mental check of the physical sensations running through her body. The fatigue was there, but she still had plenty of energy. Thanks her years of experience, in terms of endurance, Lita was to a normal traceur what a marathon runner was to a jogger.

Lita raced down the tunnel, looking for an exit in the shadow. Seeing nothing, she poured more speed into her legs and ran ever further into the bowels of the city.

She knew not how long she ran through the dark world beneath the streets. Time was meaningless here, in the place where the sun would never shine. This was the world of traceurs.

Something caught her eyes in the darkness ahead. Without thinking, she stopped running and crouched down, hiding herself in the deepest darkness she could find.

Something was moving. Lita crept forward, forcing herself to control her breathing. Her sharp eyes strained as she tried to see what the mysterious figure was.

The figure was a drone. A medium-sized youma-class, by the look of it. The creature was crouched over something, and Lita had a sickening feeling of déjà-vu as it realized the drone was eating a homeless man.

Lita felt her teeth clench. Unconsciously, she reached into her pocket and drew out a toothpick. But something made her pause.

_Since when do drones work alone?_ Lita heard herself thinking.

As if in answer to her thoughts, the drone suddenly straightened. Lita tensed. The drone swung its head around, as if listening for something. Lita held her breath.

After a long moment, the drone looked away. Getting to its feet, the thing stalked away down the tunnel, chewing on something. Just as she was about to lose track of it, Lita crept out of the shadows and followed it.

The drone led her through the dark maze for what felt like hours, eating garbage and rats and whatever else it could find. Lita tried not to dry heave.

At last, the drone led her to where she wanted to be. Lita paused in shock, not believing her eyes. After a brief moment, she retreated to a safe distance and pulled out her phone. No signal. Figures. She glanced at her wrist. The sleek black-and-green digital comm watch could get a signal anywhere, and it never ran out of charge. Lita made a mental note to thank Luna and Artemis for spawning the watches for the Scouts.

###

Serena's eyes wandered sightlessly under her eyelids. Tiredly, she turned over and tried to ignore the light coming in through her window. Her mouth watered as she moaned contentedly in her sleep.

_Serena sat at an enormous table filled with all her favorite foods. The delicious smells wafted in through her nostrils, causing her to sigh contentedly. But her attention was focused on the man seated across from her._

_Tuxedo Mask gazed into her eyes from where he sat, a small, flawless smile on his lips. In his hand was a glass of wine, as red as the roses he wielded in battle. Behind his mask, his perfect eyes held her in an ethereal trace that no words could describe._

Suddenly a sharp beep jolted her from her slumber. Her eyelids firmly welded shut with dried tears, Serena reached out from under the sheets and fished around for her comm watch, groaning in irritation. "What?" she moaned into it, blearily strapping it onto her wrist.

"Hey Moon, you up?" Lita asked through the watch's comm channel.

"I wish I wasn't."

"Well, sorry for the wake-up, but we've got some bad crap going on down below. I've got eyes on some serious drone activity in the subway tunnels, and they look like they need an attitude adjuster, Moon Kingdom-style."

Serena stifled a yawn. "Wait… what are you doing in the tunnels?"

"Took a new route on my morning trace. Anyway, they look like they're fixing to do some nasty stuff to the citizens of our fair city, so how about a nice battle to work up an appetite before breakfast?"

Serena rubbed her eye. "Ugh… fine."

"Great. Hey, my phone can't get a signal down here, so can you do me a favor and call my house? Just tell them my work ran a little over and they'll be cool with it."

"Sure. What's the number?" Lita read her the number.

"Alright, thanks." Lita told Serena where she was.

"I don't know where that is."

"I bet Merc can pull up a map or something on that visor of hers. I'll ask when I call her and everybody else. Meantime, psyche up and move out. It's game time, and you're on point." The call went dead.

Serena groaned and fell backward, her head landing on her pillow with a soft _thump_.

"I told you that midnight Netflix marathon was a bad idea," Luna scolded, yawning and stretching.

"How was I supposed to know I was gonna have to get up early today?" Serena rolled out of bed, forcing herself to her feet.

"A Sailor Scout must always be ready, even if it means not watching 3 seasons of _Nexus.7_ in one sitting."

Serena made a groaning noise through her nose. She pulled open a drawer and looked for something to throw on, wishing she was back in her dream. Good days rarely followed when that dream was interrupted.


	8. Beneath the Streets (Part 1)

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Sailor Moon asked between breaths.

"Positive. This map of the tunnel system shows me exactly where Lita is and the fastest way to get to her."

Sailors Mercury and Moon ran through the city, as fast as their augmented muscles could carry them. It wasn't easy concealing themselves in broad daylight, but Jason's training helped them get to an access point without being spotted. Serena dived in first, with Amy on her heels.

Serena paused as she stepped into the tunnel. "You hear that?" Amy listened.

Echoes could be heard in the distance. Harsh blasting noises that sounded like weapon fire. Angry roars of drones. Pounding of flesh on concrete.

"COME ON!" Serena raced down the tunnel, the aching in her tired limbs gone in an instant. She didn't stop to see how far behind her Amy was: the world had ceased, and only her fellow Sailor Scout and the monsters trying to take her life remained.

She never knew just how long she ran through the corridors beneath the streets. Every heartbeat seemed to last an hour, every step a day, and every breath a lifetime. She could practically feel every blow that tore into Lita's body every second they were apart.

After too long, Serena's augmented eyes spotted movement. Lightning bolts shot out from a small figure surrounded by three towering forms. Lita dived to the side, blasting twin bolts of electricity from her hands. Two of the drones stumbled back. The third drone lunged in, sweeping its paw upward. The blow caught Lita, sending her crashing into a concrete wall. Lita crumbled to the ground. The drone moved in for the kill.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Serena threw herself between the drone and her friend. The drone's arm blade clanged against her tiara, sparks flashing as the dark metal collided with the glowing energy disk.

Serena felt the bones in her arm rattle from the impact. Without a second of hesitation she deflected the drone's weapon and shot forward, her hand curling into a fist. With all of her strength, she punched the drone.

The drone's belly exploded in a mess of meat, metal, and glowing blue blood. A feral roar of agony escaped the creature as the blow propelled it backward. Bodily fluids splashed Serena, but she barely noticed.

"Thanks, Moon!" Lita scrambled to her feet. Serena saw blood dripping from her friend's mouth as the Sailor Scout surged past her, lightning crackling from her hands.

Sailor Mercury hurled back the remaining two drones with a pair of ice shields. Knocking one to the side, she spun around and kicked the other in the face before it could react. Blood and fangs flew from its mouth, spraying wildly as the creature spun away.

The third drone threw back its head and unleashed a pulsing, wailing howl that echoed through the tunnels. But the howl of defiance quickly turned into a scream of pain as Sailor Moon's tiara sliced through its skull.

"THEY'VE GOT BACKUP!" Lita shouted, finishing off the disemboweled drone.

No sooner had the words left her than hulking forms began lumbering out of side tunnels that Serena hadn't noticed. The drones' eyes glowed fiercely in the gloom, giving their faces (those that had faces) an even more unearthly appearance. The drone in front locked eyes with Serena, its jaws widening slightly in anticipation and hunger.

Serena felt her heart catch in her throat for the briefest of instants, causing her hand to tremble slightly.

"Crap, I was hoping there'd be more," Lita quipped. The lightning in her hands crackled eagerly, so strong that the electrical current in the subway rails around them seemed to rise and seethe in response.

Suddenly the drones in front exploded in dense blue fire, shockwaves rumbling through the tunnel. Out of the darkness shot Lightstorm, staff in hand. Without a second of hesitation, he charged the line of drones, his body all but a blur in the harsh flashes of light. Before she knew what was happening, Serena found herself charging after him, a scream tearing out of her throat.

A six-legged drone leaped over the mayhem. Serena threw her tiara. The drone's leg split open in a gush of purple blood, sending it into a midair spin. Serena ducked to the side and punched a second drone backwards into an icy blast from Amy.

Lita ran up a drone, kicking its head as she back-flipped into the air. Before her opponents could react, she pushed off from the concrete ceiling, slamming into another drone with a bone-rattling crunch. The smell of burning meat filled the air as Lita's lightning fried the innards of the monster. Flipping her hair out of her eyes, Lita twisted away and faced her next attackers.

Lightstorm danced through the battle in a blur of metal and shadow. Effortlessly, he impaled a drone's eye with a grapple gauntlet, reeling in as he did so. With one move, he smashed a drone's neck with his staff as he was pulled off his feet. The first drone thrashed madly, trying to dislodge the metal barb in its eye socket. Jason disengaged, flipping away and throwing another shuriken. The blue explosion stung his eyes, but he barely noticed as he grappled away before hitting the ground. Drawing his knife, he slashed at a third drone and buried the end of his staff in the belly of a fourth.

Serena's cheek erupted in agony as a drone's claw slashed it open. Hot red blood poured from her face, but she pushed herself through the pain. She gritted her teeth. Adrenalin (if it was adrenalin) exploded in her limbs, causing her to knock back one drone and bury her tiara in the throat of another.

All of a sudden, over the din of battle, a familiar roaring sound reached Serena's ear. Orange light appeared further down the tunnel, growing brighter every second. Serena felt a grin appear on her face. With a mighty kick she sent her opponent spinning, directly into the path of the oncoming object.

Sailor Moon held her arms in front of her as the monster exploded in orange fire. A small cry escaped her as she felt the skin on her arms char and blacken from heat. But it was all over in an instant. Sailor Mars sped by her into the fray. Serena pulled her tiara from her forehead and followed suit.

Jadeite materialized in the tunnel, Zoisite right behind him. "WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING!?" he demanded. No one paid attention to him.

Zoisite spotted Sailor Mars amid the fight. Before Jadeite could react, the two-bodied menace surged past him, its rage driving it into a blind fury.

Movement caught Raye's eye. Clenching her jaw, she expelled a jet of flame and flipped backward, bringing her foot up in a sweeping kick. The impact jarred her leg, but she didn't feel the pain. The sight of one of Zoisite's bodies crashing into the ceiling was too good to miss.

Jadeite watched Zoisite and Sailor Mars killing each other through the battle, feeling oddly amused. Yes, let Sailor Mars weaken herself on Zoisite. Killing her wouldn't be as satisfying, but it would be a little easier.

Random weapon fire peppered the wall near Jadeite's head, covering part of him with concrete dust. He blinked. Right. Time to make things interesting.


	9. Beneath the Streets (Part 2)

Jadeite bowed his head in concentration, a smile twisting over his face as he felt his power activate, surging through his body as if it had never been taken away. Exhilarated, he activated his technokinesis, marveling at how his abilities responded to the merest whisper of thought. Information flooded into Jadeite's brain. Reaching out, he searched for something he could use to turn the tide of battle to his advantage.

There. The primitive transports the humans called "subways". The wide, dark tunnel contained multiple tracks along which the human fools moved in their metal coffins. Surely there had to be one close by…

Ah, yes. There was one, unloading passengers at a nearby station. Jadeite smirked, barely noticing the freezing drone blood that was splashing on him from the nearby battle. With a flick of his thoughts, he took control of the vehicle.

Screeching echoed through the station as the train suddenly accelerated. Jadeite shifted his thought patterns, relishing the sound of the humans' screams of pain as he overloaded some of the train's circuits, splashing the humans with electrical current. Some ran out the doors, hoping to avoid being electrocuted. Others dived out into the tunnel as the train left the station, barreling faster and faster toward its victims.

Suddenly, a sharp burning pain sliced through Jadeite's face, driving him out of his reverie. Furious, he whipped around to face his attacker.

Tuxedo Mask surged onto the battlefield, Sailor Venus at his side. The man's eyes met Jadeite's, igniting Jadeite's bloodlust like a solar storm. Concentrating his powers into his hands, he charged to meet his enemy in battle.

"TUXEDO MASK!" Serena cried rapturously. "GUH-" The drone she was fighting landed a cheap shot to her abdomen. Recovering, she slashed its throat open with a sweep of her tiara and ran to help the object of her affection.

Jadeite ducked, feeling the slight _whoosh_ of air as Tuxedo Mask's cane swept at his head. He swung a right, grazing Mask's jaw. He followed with an uppercut from the left, sending Mask flying.

Movement to the right. He leaned back. An orange impact beam sliced the air where his head had been a moment ago. Chains whistled through the air. Jadeite reached out and gave them a mighty pull. Sailor Venus was dragged helplessly through the air, too surprised to dispel her chains. Jadeite spun around, slamming Venus into the concrete wall with a booming crash.

Sailor Moon leapt over a tangle of drones dog-piling Sailor Mercury. Her tiara blazed furiously as she pushed herself into a spin, her arm whipping straight so fast it was all but invisible. The deadly disk shot through the air, sailing directly for Jadeite's head.

Jadeite's grin widened. Sucking in a breath of foul Earth air, he opened his right hand and summoned a blast of energy. Stepping forward, he swung his arm up in a powerful sweep, sending a barricade crashing into Sailor Moon.

"MOON!" Sailor Venus called, raising her head from where she had fallen. Sailor Moon flew through the air, tumbling backwards as she tried to regain her senses. Before she could do so much as blink, her body smashed through the front of the subway Jadeite had taken command of, whisking her away from the fight. Jadeite watched in amusement as the train disappeared down the tunnel. Then he crouched low, pushed off from the ground, and flew after the speeding transport.

"COME ON!" Sailor Mars slammed her foot into Zoisite's jaw, knocking the creature senseless with a bone-rattling _crunch_. With one smooth move she turned and rocket-ran after the train, her flames burning furiously.

Amid the chaos, Jason saw Jadeite and Sailor Mars disappear down the tunnel after the train. Beneath his mask, his eyes narrowed. Smoothly he stepped back, the barbs of his grapple gauntlets tearing out the brains of the two drones he had been fighting. He pressed a button on his belt and ran after his allies, retracting his staff as he did so.

The roar of an engine tore through the behind him. Pouring energy into his legs, Jason back-flipped, landing perfectly on his custom motorcycle. The landing rattled his teeth, but he tightened his grip on the handlebars and gunned the engine.

Serena blinked and shook her head blearily. Her heartbeats pounded through her skull like an elephant doing jumping jacks. A groan escaped her as she propped herself with her arm and forced herself to her feet. "Where did that come from?" she wondered aloud to herself as she brushed herself off.

Clanging caught her attention. Instinctively, she pulled her tiara from her forehead and activated the disk of energy. Her heart started beating faster, and she unconsciously tightened her fists.

Jadeite landed inside the end of the speeding subway, feeling oddly pleased by the sensation of his feet thudding on the metal. Power rushed into his arm. Thrusting his hand forward, he wrenched open the doors of the subway. Clanging echoed through the vacant cars. His head held high, he strode toward the front of the train, eager for his rematch with Sailor Moon.

Raye's entire body screamed in pain. Rocket-running wasn't exactly pleasant on a good day, but powering through the breaks and bruises from Zoisite was agonizing. Every nerve in Raye's body demanded that she stop and rest, but she refused. Ahead, she saw Jadeite disappear into the subway, not even taking notice of her. Raye squeezed her eyes shut.

"COME ON, RAYE… DO… YOUR… STUFF!" The flames blasting from Raye's body turned from orange to white. Aching pain shot through her bones as she felt herself being propelled even faster. Reaching out, she strained to reach a piece of metal sticking out from the end of the subway. At last, her fingers closed around it.

Raye felt herself being pulled off her feet as soon as she cut the thrust. Ignoring the blasts of pain shooting through her arm, Sailor Mars gritted her teeth and dragged herself forward. Forcing herself into the subway, she paused for a moment to catch her breath. Then she gathered her strength and took off after Jadeite.

Jason saw Raye disappear into the subway. Tightening his grip on the bike's handlebars, he willed the vehicle to go even faster. The cycle was handling the subway tracks better than most, but its speed was still reduced.

A second engine noise caught his attention above the din in the tunnel. He glanced to his right. Tuxedo Mask pulled up alongside him, riding a similar motorcycle. The vehicle wasn't as durable as Jason's was, though. The engine sounded close to stalling, and the man appeared to have just used up the last of the bike's nitrous.

Jason's thoughts raced. An idea formed in his mind. Reaching down, he entered a command into his bike. Then he stretched out his left arm and fired his grapple gauntlet.

The sharp metal barb whistled through the air, biting into the thick casing of the subway. Jason retracted the cable, pulling himself off the motorcycle into the subway car. With one smooth move he twisted around and fired again, this time spearing the hood of Tuxedo Mask's bike. Jason braced and retracted. The grapple gauntlet pulled the bike close to the subway, and Tuxedo Mask vaulted inside. With one glance, he and Lightstorm understood each other. As one, the two Justice Champions turned and sprinted after the enemy.

Jadeite strode confidently through the vacant subway, already relishing the thought of crushing Sailor Moon's skull. Ahead of him, Serena crouched in cover, her heartbeats pounding in her ears. Her mouth went dry as she heard Jadeite coming. As she awaited his arrival, she remembered Jason's training: stealth attacks were invaluable, especially if the enemy had you overpowered and knew your location. Therefore, Serena had moved towards the back of the subway where Jadeite (hopefully wouldn't expect her. As he was about to pass by, Serena gathered her willpower and leaped out.

Serena and Jadeite collided with a crash, banging into the wall and breaking a window. Serena slashed at Jadeite with her tiara, tearing open several gashes.

Jadeite recovered almost instantly. Grabbing Serena's arm, he twisted her away and threw her down the subway car, sending her flying through the metal poles in the center of the aisle. Taking flight for a moment, he leapt forward and raised his fist, ready to punch her straight through the floor.

Serena rolled to the side and threw her tiara, screaming as hard as she could. Jadeite ducked to the side, raising a barrier and blocking Serena's scream. Suddenly there was a white flash, and Jadeite went flying over Sailor Moon's head.

Raye's fist cracked as she punched the back of Jadeite's head. Agent and Sailor Scout went tumbling head-over-heels into the next car in a confused heap. Serena scrambled to her feet and ran after them.

Jadeite punched Raye into the ceiling. Coming up in a twist, he kicked her back toward Sailor Moon. Serena dodged her friend's flying body, throwing her tiara. Jadeite dodged the disk and swept his arm upward, firing a barricade at Serena. Serena fell back, summoning her tiara. Jadeite closed in for the kill.

Suddenly a razor rose and a shuriken flew through the air. The rose slashed open the side of Jadeite's neck, and the shuriken embedded itself in his eye. As Jadeite howled in pain, Tuxedo Mask and Lightstorm surged forward, weapons raised. Serena ran after them.

Furious, Jadeite raised his hand. Electrical bolts exploded inside the car, slamming into the Justice Champions. Serena dropped to her knees, screaming in pain. Tuxedo Mask dashed to her side, shielding her with his cape. Jason threw a smoke pellet. In the brief moment Jadeite's vision was obscured, Sailor Mars dashed forward and blasted Jadeite with an orange inferno.

Jason threw a handful of shuriken. Tuxedo Mask launched a fistful of razor roses. Sailor Moon flung her tiara and screamed with all her might.

The explosion tore through the subway car like paper. Metal shredded and blew away. A thunderous shockwave blasted through tunnel. Debris flew though the air as the wreckage of the subway crashed to a screeching halt. Tuxedo Mask wrapped his arms around Serena, shielding him with her body as the four Justice Champions were thrown forward.

The crash seemed to go on forever. Hot air rushed into Serena's lungs, choking her as she and Tuxedo Mask were hurled through the wreckage. But at last the noise died down, and the last of the subway cars ground to a screeching halt.

Tuxedo Mask loosed his grip on Serena. Sailor Moon shook herself back to awareness and looked at her friend. Mask's clothes were shredded, his hat was gone, and blood poured out of a dozen wounds all over his body. But he was alive.

Raye lay in a stunned heap underneath a pile of metal and concrete, but she forced herself to stand. Serena looked away, unable to look at the injuries her friend has taken. Raye stumbled, but Jason caught her arm.

The old warrior's armor was almost completely gone, having been torn away by the explosion. Aside from a few cuts and burns, however, he appeared well enough. Serena thought that his armor must have been extremely well made to protect him so well.

Jadeite was nowhere to be seen. Serena guessed that he had transferred back to the Negaverse, but Jason went on to search through the debris after making sure everyone was okay. At last he returned. "This battle is won. We should go."


	10. Epilogue: Hidden Agendas

"I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Artemis blew some air out through his nose. "Their attention may be diverted for now, but how long before they turn their attention back to us?"

"We shall cross that proverbial bridge when we get to it."

Artemis' eyes seemed to glow in the dim light. "In the meantime, it never hurts to have a backup plan."

Luna frowned. "It most certainly hurts when that plan involves doing something ghastly. Promise me you won't consider something so drastic ever again."

"You know I can't promise that. Not with what's at stake."

"How far are we willing to go, Artemis? What price is too high?"

"We knew there wouldn't be easy answers. All we can do is make sure the Sailor Scouts suspect nothing."

"But would _she_ want us to go to such extreme lengths?"

"Her wishes are a little irrelevant now, don't you think? We do what's necessary."

Luna closed her eyes and wished that the conversation would be over. "The ends don't always justify the means."

Artemis said nothing, but Luna sensed that he agreed with her. Then: "Right now it looks like the Sailor Scouts are preoccupied. Maybe we can manage the situation without more drastic measures. But if the time comes, you and I have to be prepared to do what we have to."

With a heavy heart, Luna nodded.

###

"I didn't know you enjoyed my company so much," Tridymite said a bit too pleasantly.

"Shut up and fix me," Jadeite seethed, clutching his broken arm.

"As you wish." Tridymite began tending to Jadeite's wounds, humming slightly.

Zoisite's female body stalked through the door, the dressings on her wounds covering most of her body. "The hell do you want?" she demanded.

Jadeite winced as Tridymite cut away a chunk of burned flesh. "Still think it's better to have two brains, you telepathic freak?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I bet you thought you were being clever when you reprogrammed my drones to set up that secret base for you in M-Space." Zoisite's eyes widened slightly. "Yes, I know all about your plan to overthrow me. How fitting that it should be foiled by our enemies."

"You can't prove anything."

"I don't have to. I own you, Zoisite. And I don't like it when my property tries to kill me." With his good arm, Jadeite reached down and made some adjustments to his uniform. "Now ease my suffering."

Zoisite considered running. Or fighting. Maybe she could kill Jadeite before Queen Beryl's guards killed her.

No. She was in no condition to fight, and Tridymite might try to protect Jadeite. If she was ever going to be free of his tyranny, she would have to be smarter and play a longer game. Seeing no other option, Zoisite trudged up to where Jadeite sat and got on her knees.

###

Jason Shepard set down his tool and picked up his coffee. The black, scalding liquid poured down his throat, easing the fatigue that tugged at his body. His thirst sated, he resumed working on the computer console.

The battle beneath the streets had left the old warrior with his fair share of scrapes and burns, but it was nothing he wasn't used to. Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Sailor Mars. Upstairs, the poor girl slumbered on Jason's bed, her mind free to dream while her body repaired itself. Jason had treated her wounds, but now the rest was up to her.

After making the necessary arrangements, Jason had decided to stay in the base with her in case she needed additional treatment. He doubted she would, but it never hurt to be cautious. To pass the time, Jason had set to work on the computer room deep in the base.

Jason took another sip of coffee. This wasn't the wisest thing to do, he noted to himself. Going two full days without sleep could seriously hurt one's health, and Jason needed all of his focus at the moment. Then again, when one had gone into the double digits of days without sleep in the past, two days wasn't as big of a deal. Still, when combining human technology with Moon Kingdom science, it wasn't wise to use anything less than one's fullest mental capacity. But be that as it may, Jason needed the computer room, and the computer wasn't going to build itself.

Jason adjusted the ear buds in his ears and began to work on a particularly complicated circuit. As he assembled the computed, Jason was listening to the audio taken from the surveillance he had placed on Darien Shields. At an accelerated speed, the audio was easy enough to check for anything suspicious. For the first few hours of audio, Jason heard nothing of interest. But then came a sound that made him pause and set down his tools. It was a sound all too familiar to him.

Darien Shields was screaming. It was not a scream of excitement or of happiness, but the soulless, primal sound of a creature trying to fight something beyond its control. The noise echoed in Jason's ears, bringing to mind every other time he had heard that same, desperate scream from a billion people on a billion worlds. Then the audio went dead silent.

Jason glanced at the timestamp. The audio had been captured shortly before the battle in the subway.

**The Sailor Scouts will return in Legends of Lightstorm Saga 1 Episode 8**


End file.
